The pics in the link weren't the greatest for evaluating actual grain flow in the wrist and head, but I don't think we're seeing a recipe for disaster. The figure in the head may have made hand inletting challenging, but that didn't faze Merkel's duplicator a bit.
I saw one of these Ithaca Model B Auto and Burglar guns at a gun show a few weeks ago, and the grain in the grip was about 90 degrees away from ideal. You'd think it would snap off on the first shot. The grip on the earlier Model A Flues variety was much better from the standpoint of grain through the grip area.
